Blow-molded, bulbous-shaped, compartmented containers are disclosed in the prior art of which U.S. Pat. No. 2,065,504 issued Dec. 29, 1936 to Norman R. Beck, U.S. Pat. No. 2,285,707 issued June 9, 1942 to Charles B. Garwood et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 2,951,264 issued Sept. 6, 1960 to James Bailey are representative.
The prior art also discloses apparatus for making unpartitioned bulbous-shape containers of glass or thermoplastic material by blow molding injection molded preforms. U.S. Pat. No. 3,616,491 issued Nov. 2, 1971 to Gary L. Vollers, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,707,591 issued Dec. 26, 1972 to George A. Chalfant are, respectively, representative of prior art patents which disclose integrated apparatus for and methods of injection molding preforms and for subsequently blow molding the injection molded preforms to bulbous-shapes.
The prior art further discloses integrated injection-blow molding apparatus comprising spring biased members and other means for obviating flow of thermoplastic material into its blow-molding-gas passageways during the injection molding operation, and for subsequently admitting blow-molding gas through the passageways to effect blow molding a finished article. U.S. Pat. No. 3,412,186 issued Nov. 19, 1968 to Tadeusz Piotrowski, U.S. Pat. No. 3,441,982 issued May 6, 1969 to Toshio Sagara et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 3,609,803 issued Oct. 5, 1971 to Lazzaro A. Fattori are representative of such prior art. Sagara el al. also illustrate conversion of extruded tubular parisons into bulbous-shape containers by pinching one end of the parison closed and then blow molding the parison to the ultimate shape desired.
However, none of the prior art has solved all of the problems of providing apparatus for molding a bulbous-shape, plural compartment, top-opening container of unitary construction which container is divided into compartments by a precisely sized, shaped, and oriented integral partition or bulkhead to the degree or extent of the present invention.